Michigan's same-sex marriage ban is lifted

State's Attorney General requests an appeal

10:09 PM,
Mar. 21, 2014

April DeBoer, left, and Jayne Rowse pose at their home in Hazel Park. A federal judge has struck down Michigan's ban on gay marriage Friday, the latest in a series of decisions overturning similar laws across the U.S. The two nurses who've been partners for eight years claimed the ban violated their rights under the U.S. Constitution.

Written by

Liz Shepard
Times Herald

Melissa Olshove said in her heart she knew a federal judge would strike down the state's gay marriage ban, but she was still overwhelmed when the news broke Friday afternoon.

"I actually just read it and haven't had a chance to talk to my wife yet," the Port Huron woman said. "I'm just insanely overwhelmed and grateful that he decided that he was going to rule in favor of love. ... I truly do not have words right now."

U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman's ruling would make Michigan the 18th state in the nation to allow gays and lesbians to be married. ...